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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 25: Kaylee Hottle attends the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures world premiere of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” at TCL Chinese Theatre on March 25, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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Kaylee Hottle, who starred in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, has died.<\/p>\n
The actress\u2019 father, Joshua Hottle, told TMZ <\/a>that his daughter died in a car accident Tuesday morning in Maryland. Although most news outlets are reporting that she was 18, the actress\u2019 IMDb profile<\/a> notes that she was born on May 1, 2007, which would have made her 19.<\/p>\n ForbesHal Williams, \u2018Sanford And Son\u2019 And \u2018227\u2019 Star, Dies At 91By Tim Lammers<\/a><\/p>\n Kaylee Hottle, who was deaf, communicated with Kong in the Godzilla vs. Kong<\/a> movies through sign language. Joshua Hottle shared the news of his daughter\u2019s death through American Sign Language (ASL) on a 23-minute-long Facebook livestream<\/a>. In the livestream video post, which was taken in Texas, Joshua Hottle wrote, “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”<\/p>\n Kaylee Hottle, according to TMZ, was part of a multi-generational deaf family. <\/p>\n BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 19: Kaylee Hottle attends Japan World Heroes 2023: A Kaiju-Sized Celebration Of Japanese Pop Culture at Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport on August 19, 2023 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n In 2021\u2019s Godzilla vs. Kong, Hottle\u2019s Jia is a native of Skull Island, who at the beginning of the film presents a handmade doll to Kong and plays a pivotal role throughout the film. Hottle reprised the role in 2024\u2019s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. In both films, Jia is taken under the wing of Ilene Andrews, played by Rebecca Hall.<\/p>\n Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd, who starred opposite Hottle in Godzilla vs. Kong, told Junkee<\/a> in 2021 that he and Hall learned ASL to communicate with the actress when the cameras weren\u2019t rolling. Skarsg\u00e5rd was floored by the poise of Hottle, who was 9 years old at the time of filming.<\/p>\n ForbesSam Neill, \u2018Jurassic Park\u2019 Franchise Star, Dies At 78By Tim Lammers<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s her first movie,\u201d Skarsg\u00e5rd told Junkee. \u201cIt\u2019s fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director Adam (Wingard). He\u2019ll explain something and she\u2019ll be like \u2018got it, got it\u2019 then she\u2019ll just do it and everyone\u2019s like \u2018the f–k \u2026 how did she?\u2019 She\u2019s so professional and just incredibly \u2026 there\u2019s so much going on on her face, her expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire earned Hottle a Best Younger Performer in a Film Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 2025.<\/p>\n Hottle Was A Senior At Texas School For The Deaf<\/p>\n Hottle, who was born in Atlanta, went on to attend the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.<\/p>\n